lunam et stellas

chapter five

the white witch returns...

Alex's eyes were watering as she stared back at the Narnians trapped behind the gate.

Peter's face was white, and he held Alex's waist tighter. The bridge began to close, and Alex tried to ignore the shooting pains from her side once again. "My love, we have to go."

"Lex-"

"I know, I know. But we can't—" Alex choked on her sob, gripping his hand tight. "There's nothing we can do."

Peter gulped, nodding quickly. Alex snapped the reins, and their horse jumped across the bridge, landing beside the rest of the Narnians.

The rest of their ride was otherwise quiet.

Alex didn't know what to say. And Peter, he was basking in his anger, his hurt, and his disappointment that this plan had gone so awry. Alex had gone numb, hoping that Peter hadn't translated that as her shutting down again.

Although she felt like passing out at any moment, they were close enough that if she held out a little while longer, she could find a maester and then pass out in peace. The How came into view, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Peter stirred behind her, and she lightly leaned her head onto his shoulder. She smiled for a moment before he held her waist tighter, and she couldn't stop herself from hissing. His arms went stiff.

"Alex? Are you-"

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

Peter let go of her waist, frozen with fear as he stared down at his arm, soaked in her blood. His heart dropped to the floor, looking up slowly to his wife who refused to look at him. "Alex..."

"Peter. It's alright; it's just a-"

"Alexandra, I am finding it very hard not to be upset with you right now."

Alex almost laughed. "I thought you couldn't be mad at me."

He took the reins from her hands, ignoring her comment. "Hold on; you need a maester." He cracked the reins and raced towards the How. Their horse quickly came to a halt, and Peter dismounted, reaching up to help Alex down from the saddle. 

His arm wrapped around her waist, and she hissed. "Ah, it-" 

"I'm so sorry." His heart broke as he tried to reassure her. "Just- It will only hurt for a second, and then you'll be down. I promise, Alex." 

She nodded. "Okay, just- just do it."

He took a deep breath, lifting her off the saddle. She screamed, falling into his arms. Tears fell down Peter's cheeks as he held her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, my love. I'm so sorry." 

By then, Caspian and the rest of the Narnians had caught up, but Peter wasn't paying attention. Lucy had run out of the How, and her eyes went from scared to relieved to scared in seconds. Peter tried helping her walk, but when they couldn't move fast enough, he took matters into his own hands.

He carefully picked her up, walking her to the entrance where Lucy stood. Alex looked up, smiling lightly. "This remind you of anything?"

"Alex, this is not a joking matter." He stared down at the ground, murmuring. "Why did I notice this sooner?"

"Peter, don't get too worked up about this. I-" She sighed. "I'm honestly glad you didn't realize sooner. The ride back would have been-" She laughed, coughing harshly. "Besides, it's not like I'm dy-" 

His face dropped even further, and Alex shook her head quickly. "Peter, I'm sorry. I was only trying to-"

"It's alright, my love. Just conserve your energy, please."